Highest Waterfall 1: Angel Falls, Venezuela
Angel Falls, located in the Bolivar province of Venezuela, not only has the distinction of being the highest waterfall in the world at an astonishing 3,212 feet tall (979 meters), but it also has the single highest plunge in the world. After a short drop of about 100 feet, the very top of Angel Falls drops 2,648 feet off of a flat-topped plateau known as Auyan-Tepui ("Devil's Mountain").
Angel Falls was "discovered" accidentally by an American aviator, Jimmie Angel, in 1933. Looking for the world's tallest waterfall was probably the last thing on Angel's mind at the time -- the pilot had been searching Venezuela for famed gold ore mines and happened to fly over the location. The falls were never really discovered, though, as the native people, the Pemón, had already known of their existence.
The area surrounding Angel Falls is noted for its particular beauty -- a myriad of plants and flowers are near the plateau, including the orange and yellow lantana, the purple Princess Flower, the pink Mimosa and many types of orchids and bromeliads. Even the weather nearby the Auyan-Tepui is affected by Angel Falls. Because of the plunge's tremendous heights, gusts of wind create massive mists and spray around the plateaus, and rains mixing in with the cascading water can create extra "limbs" off of the falls.
For lots more information on waterfalls and all things geological, see the next page.
